other before the wedding. Can I give it to him after?”
She looks seriously unimpressed by this idea, and I see another flash of Sterling.
“I’ll take it to him,” Sutton offers, already in her dress, and I startle. I had no idea she’d been listening. “Anything you want me to tell him, pipsqueak?”
Ellie starts to shake her head and stops. “Yes, please tell him to save me a dance.”
It’s such a formal declaration that Sutton and I can’t help sharing a smile.
“Will do,” she promises before heading to the study where Sterling and the boys are waiting before the ceremony. She looks relieved to get away, and I can’t blame her. She’s more comfortable around her brother and his friends.
The door to the bedroom opens and Poppy comes in, her arms laden with a blue garment bag. She’s buzzing with excitement as she lays it across the King-sized bed. Everyone in the room stops, even the stylist curling Trish’s hair, as she unzips it and carefully removes my wedding dress from the bag. Poppy spreads it over the bed with reverence before turning shining eyes on me.
“You’re getting married,” she whispers.
“I know!” I burst out in tears and she gives me a fierce hug, pulling back to check my make-up in a panic. I blink, my lashes wet from crying. “Don’t worry. It’s waterproof.”
The girls help me into the dress, buttoning, zipping, and adjusting, and when Poppy smiles, I turn to look in the mirror. I’d chosen the gown because my first thought when I saw it was that it looked like something out of The Great Gatsby. Its ivory silk bodice is beaded with elegant pearls that continue to the skirt which hugs my hips ever so slightly, enough to showcase my curves but still allow me to move freely—another of my demands. I have no desire to spend tonight feeling uncomfortable. I’m going to dance under the stars in the arms of my forever.
Loose lace sleeves flutter from its straps to my elbows. The lace that continues across the back is secured with four covered buttons that allow glimpses of my skin to peek through before it gathers at my tailbone and flows into a delicate train that puddles behind me. I feel like I’ve stepped into a dream.
“Are you sure about the veil?” Poppy asks as she helps me clip a diamond barrette in my hair. She’d made me buy one just in case I changed my mind.
But I haven’t. My hair is curled and pinned loosely at the nape of my neck, with a few soft tendrils brushing my shoulders. “I want to be able to see him clearly.”
Enough things have come between us in the past. Today, nothing, not even a veil is going to do that.
“So, you’re sure about this?” Poppy teases as we stare at the mirror.
“I’m all in.”
Sterling
“An excessive amount of flowers were just delivered, according to Poppy,” Kai informs me as he joins us in the study. He hands me a card as Jack pours him a drink.
“For me?” I look at the ivory envelope curiously. It’s not the first gift to show up directed at me. A number of business associates had sent well wishes and extravagant gifts leading up to today, likely suffering under the impression that I’m planning to return to my job after the wedding and the long rehabilitation period leading up to it. Third degree burns turned out to cause more than a little nerve damage.
“Still haven’t told anyone?” Luca asks, eyeing the card.
“Have you?” I ask. I’m not the only one planning to silently slip into retirement. At least, retirement from our less-than-legal pursuits.
“I’ve made it clear I’m being a bit more picky when it comes to clients,” he says with a grin, swigging from his whiskey glass. “Now, we just have to get that one to come on board.”
“Nope,” Jack calls, overhearing us. “I’m out. I’m a small business owner. I don’t have time for your shenanigans.”
“Shenaningans?” Luca repeats, clutching his chest. “You wound me, Archer.”
“Don’t act like you have a heart,” Jack says dryly. “You two will get into plenty of trouble on your own.”
They’ve been at it like hens since I’d first pitched my idea to them. Why wipe the slate entirely clean? There were plenty of people who could use our help and our skills. People who actually need us. Kids like me with shitty parents. Women being preyed on by assholes like Cyrus. The people that the law doesn’t know how